The D.C. workers compensation judge who resigned recently amid allegations he had been disbarred and wasn't even a lawyer, has left cases undecided, injured workers waiting for benefits, workers compensation insurance companies unsure of whether they have to pay benefits and other problems, no doubt.

But judges resign all the time - in D.C. it seems there is a lot of turnover among Administrative Law Judges. So what usually happens?

Typically, any pending cases are re-assigned to an active judge. The parties are usually given the opportunity to have another hearing by that judge or have the case decided on the prior hearing record. All Formal Hearings in D.C. are transcribed and evidence entered into the record.

You might think you're better off having the case re-heard by the new judge, but that's not always the case, and may not matter.

That's because some cases take so long to decide that there is no way the judge remembers anything about the hearing - the witnesses' demeanor, for example. They are often decided by the judge just reading the transcript anyway.

That's a tough reality to swallow when you put so much into these cases.

WARNING

If you were seriously hurt at work DO NOT talk to any insurance adjuster, nurse case manager, give a recorded statement or sign anything. Before doing any of that, you need to read the only book of it's kind written just for injured workers: Protect Your Rights: The Ultimate Guide to D.C. Workers' Compensation.Written by nationally recognized, board-certified trial attorney Frank R. Kearney, this book explains your rights and responsibilities when you get seriously hurt at work: everything the insurance company won't do.

Now in its third edition, this is the bookthe workers comp insurance company doesn't want you to read. You will learn insurance company tricks, traps and tactics, when, where and how to file your workers comp claim, your rights to medical care - and how to avoid mistakes that could literallly cost your family hundreds of dollars every single week that you can't work.

Order yours today or give us a call at 202-393-3320 and speak to a live person who will send it to you today. But don't wait - you may not know it yet, but the insurance company already has experienced lawyers, nurses, case managers and adjusters working on your case - and who do you think they work for? Hint: it's not you...